Illuminated automatic pad and pencil holder



y 1940. F. 'r. LOUIS ILLUMINATED AUTOMATIC PAD AND PENCIL HOLDER Filed Aug. 8, 1958 INVENTQR. 5 W64 Z A 040.5

BY W

ATTORNEYS Patented May 14, 1940 UNITED STATES ILLUMINATED AUTOMATIC PAD AND PENCIL HOLDER Fred T. Louis, Kansas City, Mo., assignor of onehalf to Garrett H. Trembly, Kansas City, Mo.

Application August 8,

1 Claim.

; make and break mechanism.

One of the important aims of this invention is to provide an illuminated holder for scratch pads or the like, which'holder is provided with a receiving cavity for the pencil, the weight of which serves to maintain an electrical switch in the open position when the pencil is not in use and has a portion thereof in the cavity.

A further aim of this instant invention is the provision of an illuminated holder for scratch pads and pencils which embodies an electrical switch that is automatically operated when the pencil is moved to and from a cavity within the holder, there being a novelly arranged switch and actuating element therefor that is operated by the placement and removal of the pencil.

A large number of minor objects of this invention will appear during the course of the following specification, referring to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an illuminated pad and pencil holder made in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed sectional view through a portion of the holder taken on line III-III of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a wiring diagram.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of an illuminated pad and pencil holder constructed to embody a modifled form of the invention; and,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailed fragmentary sectional view through the holder taken on line VI--VI of Fig. 5.

The dial telephone with which this holder is particularly useful is not here shown. Manifestly, the rays of light from the lamp forming a part of the holder, will be cast upon the dial of the telephone when the holder is adjusted to the desired position for such results.

The preferred embodiment of the pad and pencil holder is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, and comprises a base 8 provided with a cavity H] which in this instance, is extended inwardly from face l2 of base 8 upon which a pad of paper I l 1938, Serial No.- 223,731

is adapted to rest when the holder is loaded for use. i I

The pad I4 is held in position by a clamp [6 that is mounted on base 8 and in the instance illustrated, this clamp I6 is merely a resilient strip transverselyoffset to provide an overhanging portion beneath which pad I4 may be introduced. Suitable rivets or the like l8 are employed to secure clamp I6 in position.

Bracket 20 mounted on base 8 adjacent to one end thereof, extends upwardly from face l2 and supports an electric lamp 22, on which a suitable shade or reflector 2t may be located. Lamp 22 is joined to any suitable source of electric energy through the medium of wires 26 and 28, and in the diagrammatical illustration of the circuit shown in Fig. 4, the source of energy is a battery 30. Obviously, in use, the wires 26 and 28 are merely plugged into the conventional light socket to receive current as in the case of any electric appliance.

Cavity 10 extends longitudinally along one side of base 8 and receives a pencil 32 that has a tapered portion 34. This tapered portion 34 is conventional and found on practically all mechanical or Wooden pencils and therefore, retainer 36 beneath which pencil 32 is moved, may have an internal, tapered face so as to complement the inclined tapered portion 34 of pencil 32. Thus, when pencil 32 is moved longitudinally beneath retainer 36, a downward force will supplement the action of gravity to depress plunger 38 that is carried near one end of resilient strip 48 anchored to base 8 by a rivet or the like 42. If base 8 is constructed of wood, as in the illustrated embodiment, the same should be milled to present a groove 44 which receives the elements of the electric switch.

Finger 46 intersects strip 40 and the latter moves toward and from finger 46 as plunger 38 is moved to and from a position where a portion thereof is extended into cavity ID. Finger 46, therefore, becomes one point of the electric switch to which wire 48 is connected. .Wire 28 joins strip 40 so that when strip and finger 40 and 46 respectively, are together, the circuit is closed and lamp 22 will burn.

The inherent resiliency of strip 4!) serves to yieldably maintain plunger 38 in a position where the switch is closed and the spring 50 (Fig. 4) further illustrates the manner in which plunger 38 is yieldably held in a normal position where the switch is closed.

A fibre covering 52 should be placed over the lower surface of base 8 after the electrical parts of the holder are assembled. This covering 52 will conceal all of the objectionable mechanical parts which are housed within groove 44.

In constructing the holder to embody the modified form of the invention, only the placement and operation of the switch is different from the form of holder illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Reference to Figs. 5 and 6 indicate that base carries pad 62 in precisely the same manner above set down and that bracket 64 supports lamp 66 near one end and above base 60.

Pencil 68, however, is introduced into cavity 10 formed in bracket 54 and the tapered portion 12 of pencil 68 serves to hold resilient finger 14 of the electric switch out of engagement with finger 16. The moving of pencil 68 into cavity 10 will therefore open the switch and its withdrawal will permit fingers T4 and 16 to contact and therefore, close the circuit to illuminate lamp 66.

In this form of the invention, pencil 68 is releasably held in the position where switch points (fingers) M and E6 are parted by a conventional U-shaped clip 18 mounted directly upon base 60.

It is conceivable that the base and bracket of a holder embodying this invention might be made of sheet metal as well as of wood and that the physical appearance of this illuminated automatic pad and pencil holder might be decidedly different from that disclosed by the accompanying drawing. It is desired, therefore, to be limited only by the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A pad and pencil holder of the character described comprising a base having a substantially horizontal pad supporting face and provided with a groove extending inwardly from the face; a bracket extending upwardly from the face of the base at one end thereof; an electric lamp mounted on the bracket to illuminate a pad supported on the face of the base; a plunger movably mounted on the base and projecting upwardly into the groove; a pencil having a tapered end removably positioned in the groove and adapted to hold the plunger in a depressed position; a retainer on the base adjacent to the plunger, bridging the groove to maintain the pencil therein; an electric circuit including said lamp and having a switch therein to open and close the circuit; and resilient means for projecting the plunger outwardly into the groove when the pencil is removed from the latter, said plunger having connection with the switch to operate the same and adapted to close the switch when the pencil is removed from the groove and to open the switch when the pencil is in the groove, depressing the plunger, said retainer being near one end of the groove and having a tapered portion to engage the tapered end of the pencil whereby to force the pencil downwardly against the plunger as the pencil is moved longitudinally beneath the retainer.

FRED T. LOUIS. 

